As of 2019[update], the U.S. domestic box-office grosses of Ford's films total over US$4.9 billion, with worldwide grosses surpassing $8.9 billion, making Ford the fourth highest-grossing U.S. domestic box-office star.[2][3]

Early life

Ford was born at the Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, Illinois[4] to Christopher Ford (born John William Ford), an advertising executive and former actor, and Dorothy (née Nidelman), a former radio actress.[5][6] A younger brother, Terence, was born in 1945. His father was Catholic and his mother was Jewish.[7][8][9][10] Ford's paternal grandparents, John Fitzgerald Ford and Florence Veronica Niehaus, were of Irish and German descent, respectively.[5] Ford's maternal grandparents, Harry Nidelman and Anna Lifschutz, were Jewish emigrants from Minsk, Belarus (at that time a part of the Russian Empire).[5] When asked in which religion he and his brother were raised, Ford jokingly responded, "Democrat,"[11] "to be liberals of every stripe".[12] In a television interview shown in August 2000, when asked about what influence his Irish Catholic and Russian Jewish ancestry may have had on his life as a person and as an artist, Ford humorously stated, "As a man I've always felt Irish, as an actor I've always felt Jewish."[13][14][15]

Early career

In 1964, after a season of summer stock with the Belfry Players in Wisconsin,[19] Ford traveled to Los Angeles to apply for a job in radio voice-overs. He did not get it, but stayed in California and eventually signed a $150-a-week contract with Columbia Pictures' new talent program, playing bit roles in films. His first known role was an uncredited one as a bellhop in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966). There is little record of his non-speaking roles (or "extra" work) in film. Ford was at the bottom of the hiring list, having offended producer Jerry Tokovsky after he played a bellboy in the feature. He was told by Tokovsky that when actor Tony Curtis delivered a bag of groceries, he did it like a movie star; Ford felt his job was to act like a bellboy.[20] Ford managed to secure other roles in movies, such as A Time for Killing (The Long Ride Home), starring Glenn Ford, George Hamilton, and Inger Stevens.

His speaking roles continued next with Luv (1967), though he was still uncredited. He was finally credited as "Harrison J. Ford" in the 1967 Western film A Time for Killing, but the "J" did not stand for anything, since he has no middle name. It was added to avoid confusion with a silent film actor named Harrison Ford, who appeared in more than 80 films between 1915 and 1932 and died in 1957. Ford later said that he was unaware of the existence of the earlier actor until he came upon a star with his own name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ford soon dropped the "J" and worked for Universal Studios, playing minor roles in many television series throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Gunsmoke, Ironside, The Virginian, The F.B.I., Love, American Style, and Kung Fu. He appeared in the western Journey to Shiloh (1968) and had an uncredited, non-speaking role in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1970 film Zabriskie Point as an arrested student protester. French filmmaker Jacques Demy chose Ford for the lead role of his first American film, Model Shop (released in 1969) but the head of Columbia Pictures thought Ford had "no future" in the film business and told Demy to hire a more experienced actor. The part eventually went to Gary Lockwood. Ford later commented that the experience had been nevertheless a positive one because Demy was the first to show such faith in him.[21][22]

Not happy with the roles being offered to him, Ford became a self-taught professional carpenter[14] to support his then-wife and two young sons.

Casting director and fledgling producer Fred Roos championed the young Ford and secured him an audition with George Lucas for the role of Bob Falfa, which Ford went on to play in American Graffiti (1973).[14] Ford's relationship with Lucas would profoundly affect his career later on. After director Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather was a success, he hired Ford to expand his office and gave him small roles in his next two films, The Conversation (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979); in the latter film he played an army officer named "G. Lucas".

Milestone franchises

Star Wars

Harrison Ford's previous work in American Graffiti eventually landed him his first starring film role, when he was hired by Lucas to read lines for actors auditioning for roles in his then-upcoming film Star Wars (1977).[14] Lucas was eventually won over by Ford's performance during these line reads and cast him as Han Solo.[23]Star Wars became one of the most successful movies of all time and established Ford as a superstar. He went on to star in the similarly successful Star Wars sequels, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), as well as the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978). Ford wanted Lucas to kill off Han Solo at the end of Return of the Jedi, saying, "That would have given the whole film a bottom," but Lucas refused.[24]

Ford reprised the role of Han Solo in the sequel Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).[25] During filming on June 11, 2014, Ford suffered what was said to be a fractured ankle, when a hydraulic door fell on him. He was rushed to hospital for treatment.[26] Ford's son Ben released details on his father's injury, saying that his ankle would likely need a plate and screws, and that filming could be altered slightly with the crew needing to shoot Ford from the waist up for a short time until he recovered.[27] Ford made his return to filming in mid-August, after a two-month layoff as he recovered from his injury.[28][29] Ford's character was killed off in The Force Awakens;[30] however, it was subsequently announced, via a casting call, that Ford would return in some capacity as Han Solo in Episode VIII.[31] In February 2016, when the cast for Episode VIII was confirmed, it was indicated that Ford would not reprise his role in the film.[32] When Ford was asked if his character could come back in "some form", he replied, "Anything is possible in space."[33] A Han Solo spin-off movie, Solo: A Star Wars Story, was released in May 2018, but Ford was not involved in the production.

Indiana Jones

Ford's status as a leading actor was solidified when he starred as globe-trotting archeologist Indiana Jones in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), a collaboration between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.[14] Though Spielberg was interested in casting Ford from the beginning, Lucas was not, due to having already worked with the actor in American Graffiti and Star Wars, but he eventually relented after Tom Selleck was unable to accept.[14][34]

Many of Ford's major film roles came to him by default through unusual circumstances: he won the role of Han Solo while reading lines for other actors, was cast as Indiana Jones because Tom Selleck was not available, he also took over the role of Jack Ryan supposedly due to Alec Baldwin's fee demands, Baldwin had previously played the role of Ryan in The Hunt for Red October.

In 2004, Ford declined a chance to star in the thriller Syriana, later commenting that "I didn't feel strongly enough about the truth of the material and I think I made a mistake."[39] The role eventually went to George Clooney, who won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his work. Prior to that, he had passed on a role in another Stephen Gaghan-written role, Robert Wakefield in Traffic. That role went to Michael Douglas.

In 2008, Ford enjoyed success with the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, another Lucas/Spielberg collaboration. The film received generally positive reviews and was the second highest-grossing film worldwide in 2008.[40] He later said he would like to star in another sequel, "...if it didn't take another 20 years to digest."[41]

On February 26, 2015, Alcon Entertainment announced Ford would reprise his role as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner 2049.[47] The film was well received by critics,[48] Scott Collura of IGN called it a "deep, rich, smart film that's visually awesome and full of great sci-fi concepts" and Ford's role "a quiet, sort of gut-wrenching interpretation to Deckard and what he must've gone through in the past three decades."[49]The Economist has described Ford's appearance in the film as "little more than a cameo", despite his being used heavily in the film's promotion.[50] The film grossed $259.3 million worldwide, far short of the estimated $400 million that the film needed to gross in order to break even.[51] In 2018, Ford accepted his first role as a voice actor in an animated film, The Secret Life of Pets 2.[52] That same year, with filming for a fifth Indiana Jones film having been delayed by a year, he also agreed to headline a big-budget adaptation of Jack London'sThe Call of the Wild, playing prospector John Thornton.[53]

Personal life

Marriages and family

Ford is one of Hollywood's most private actors,[14] guarding much of his personal life.

Ford has been married three times and has five children.[54] His first wife was Mary Marquardt or Mary Ford Becker, from 1964 until their divorce in 1979.[clarification needed] They had two sons, chef-restaurateur Benjamin Ford (born 1966) and clothier Willard Ford (born 1969). Ford's second wife was screenwriter Melissa Mathison; they married in March 1983 and separated in late 2000,[55] subsequently divorcing. They had two children, actor/musician Malcolm Ford (born 1987) and actress Georgia Ford (born 1990). Ford began dating actress Calista Flockhart after meeting at the 2002 Golden Globes, and together they are parents to her adopted son, Liam (born 2001). Ford proposed to Flockhart over Valentine's Day weekend in 2009.[56] They married on June 15, 2010, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Ford was filming Cowboys & Aliens.[57]

Aviation

Ford is a licensed pilot of both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters,[14] and owns an 800-acre (320-hectare) ranch in Jackson, Wyoming, approximately half of which he has donated as a nature reserve. On several occasions, Ford has personally provided emergency helicopter services at the request of local authorities, in one instance rescuing a hiker overcome by dehydration.[65]

Ford keeps his aircraft at Santa Monica Airport,[68] though the Bell 407 is often kept and flown in Jackson, Wyoming, and has been used by the actor in two mountain rescues during his assigned duty time with Teton County Search and Rescue. On one of the rescues, Ford recovered a hiker who had become lost and disoriented. She boarded Ford's helicopter and promptly vomited into one of the rescuers' caps, unaware of who the pilot was until much later; "I can't believe I barfed in Harrison Ford's helicopter!" she said later.[69]

In March 2004, Ford officially became chairman of the Young Eagles program of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Ford was asked to take the position by Greg Anderson, Senior Vice President of the EAA at the time, to replace General Chuck Yeager, who was vacating the post that he had held for many years. Ford at first was hesitant, but later accepted the offer and has made appearances with the Young Eagles at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh gathering at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for two years. In July 2005, at the gathering in Oshkosh, Ford agreed to accept the position for another two years. He has flown over 280 children as part of the Young Eagles program, usually in his DHC-2 Beaver, which can seat the actor and five children. Ford stepped down as program chairman in 2009 and was replaced by Captain Chesley Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles. He is involved with the EAA chapter in Driggs, Idaho, just over the Teton Range from Jackson, Wyoming. On July 28, 2016, Ford flew the two millionth Young Eagle at the EAA AirVenture convention.[72]

Ford is an honorary board member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope,[76] and is known for having made several trips to Washington, D.C. to fight for pilots' rights.[77] He has also donated substantial funds to aerobatic champion Sean Tucker's charitable program The Bob Hoover Academy, which educates at-risk teens in central California and teaches them how to fly, named in honor of legendary pilot Bob Hoover.[78]

Incidents

On October 23, 1999, Harrison Ford was involved in the crash of a Bell 206L4 LongRanger helicopter (N36R). The NTSB accident report states that Ford was piloting the aircraft over the Lake Piru riverbed near Santa Clarita, California, on a routine training flight. While making his second attempt at an autorotation with powered recovery, Ford allowed the aircraft's altitude to drop to 150–200 feet before beginning power-up.[79] The aircraft was unable to recover power before hitting the ground. The aircraft landed hard and began skidding forward in the loose gravel before one of its skids struck a partially embedded log, flipping the aircraft onto its side. Neither Ford nor the instructor pilot suffered any injuries, though the helicopter was seriously damaged. When asked about the incident by fellow pilot James Lipton in an interview on the TV show Inside the Actor's Studio, Ford replied, "I broke it."[80]

Environmental causes

In September 2013, Ford, while filming an environmental documentary in Indonesia, interviewed the Indonesian Forestry Minister, Zulkifli Hasan. After the interview the Presidential Advisor, Andi Arief, accused Ford and his crew of "harassing state institutions" and publicly threatened them with deportation. Questions within the interview concerned the Tesso Nilo National Park, Sumatra. It was alleged the Minister of Forestry was given no prior warning of questions nor the chance to explain the challenges of catching people with illegal logging.[86][87][88][89] Ford was provided an audience with the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, during which he expressed concerns regarding Indonesia's environmental degradation and the government efforts to address climate change. In response, the President explained Indonesia's commitment to preserving its oceans and forests.[90][91]

In 2003, he publicly condemned the Iraq War and called for "regime change" in the United States. He also criticized Hollywood for making movies which were "more akin to video games than stories about human life and relationships", and he called for more gun control in the United States.[100]

Archaeology

Following on his success portraying the archaeologist Indiana Jones, Ford also plays a part in supporting the work of professional archaeologists. He serves as a General Trustee[103] on the Governing Board of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), North America's oldest and largest organization devoted to the world of archaeology. Ford assists them in their mission of increasing public awareness of archaeology and preventing looting and the illegal antiquities trade.

^Rinzer, J. W. (2008). The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films. New York: Del Rey, imprint of Random House, Inc. p. 153. ISBN978-0-345-50129-5. Lucas arrived on June 20, [1983]. "Harrison was in really terrible pain," he says. "He was on the set lying on a gurney. They would lift him up and he'd walk through his scenes, and they'd get him back on the bed." That same day Ford filmed his fight with the Thuggee assassin in Indy's suite on Stage 3. "Harrison had to roll backward on top of the guy," Spielberg says. "At that moment his back herniated and Harrison let out a call for help."